Italy has initiated the parliamentary process to approve the acquisition of a new batch of 29 AW249 attack helicopters, according to the portal The Aviationist.
According to the outlet, Italian Parliament documents detail the approval process for acquiring another batch of the new AW249 Fenice attack helicopters for the Italian Army. This batch will include 29 helicopters, completing the planned fleet of 48 AW249.
The acquisition is part of the program’s third phase, which is scheduled to begin in 2026 and “presumably” be completed by 2032, according to the document submitted to the Italian Parliament.
This phase includes finalizing the development of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) configuration, acquiring 29 FOC-configured helicopters, and modernizing the 19 helicopters already contracted.
The third phase will cost €1.22 billion, out of a total of €4.6 billion planned for the program since its launch in 2016, according to The Aviationist.
The first phase, amounting to €487 million, was authorized in 2016, and the second phase, authorized in 2020, received a total of €2.2 billion. An additional €656 million will be funded in the future to complete the program.
Photo: Italian Army. This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
